Cricket | Ram Slam T20 Challenge

Savage leads Dolphins to vital win

Calvin Savage took four wickets as the Sunfoil Dolphins claimed a vital 22-run win over the Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras in their RAM SLAM T20 Challenge match at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead in Durban on Thursday.

The Dolphins, after posting 158 for seven, restricted the Cobras to 136 for seven with paceman Savage finishing with figures of 4-33 to keep the Durban-based team’s slim playoff hopes alive.

Savage may have ended with a hatful of wickets but left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj (1-13) and medium-pacer Ravi Bopara (0-20) more than played their part in strangling the Cobras.

The victory moved the Dolphins to fifth on the log, on 10 points after seven matches, while the Cobras' playoff hopes were ended as they slipped to sixth on the log with just eight points from eight matches.

Daryn Smit had earlier provided some late-innings hitting to propel the Dolphins to what turned out to be a wining total

Smit carved his way to 33 not out off just 17 balls with three fours and two sixes as the Dolphins scored an impressive 45 runs off the last three overs of their innings.

Smit’s efforts helped rescue the home team’s innings that had looked to be running out of momentum as the Dolphins reached 113 for five after 17 overs.

The Dolphins, after being asked to bat, made a decent start to their innings thanks to a 20-run opening stand between Cameron Delport (7) and Divan van Wyk before the left-handed Delport edged a delivery from left-arm quick Beuran Hendricks through to keeper Dane Vilas.

Van Wyk and Cody Chetty then took the attack to the Cobras with a rollicking 42-run stand off just 4.4 overs.

Chetty made his way to 26 off 20 balls before he was run out at the keeper’s end thanks to a fine throw from Hendricks at fine leg after the batsman attempted a second run.

Off-spinner Dane Piedt then took centre stage with two wickets in four balls as the Dolphins slipped to 92 for four inside 13 overs.

Ravi Bopara (15) was caught at deep square leg before Piedt pulled off a smart, diving caught-and-bowled effort to get rid of Van Wyk.

Van Wyk had looked in good touch in scoring 35 off 26 balls with five fours.

Piedt ended with 2-16 off three overs.

The Cobras did not enjoy a good start to their innings as they slipped to 26 for two after the early loss of Yaseen Vallie (0) and Richard Levi (19).

Owais Shah (1) and Dane Vilas then put on 25 runs for the third wicket before Shah was caught at long-on off the bowling of Maharaj.

Justin Ontong (11) was yorked by Savage before a visibly-upset Azhar Mahmood (11) was given out caught behind off the bowling of Savage with Mahmood indicating to the umpires that the ball had come off his leg, not his bat.

Vilas tried his best to keep the Cobras in the hunt with 47 off 40 balls but he departed in the 17th over when he became Savage’s fourth wicket when he was superbly caught by a diving Chetty at deep square leg.